Linux Router KIT

Wed Oct 28 18:05:41 UTC 1998

We are also using Linux as routers/firewalls. Our twist is that the
boxes have no harddrives! Instead we have hacked the software a little
and now run 100% from CD-ROM. Bascially / is on a ramdisk. Our typical
box has a 60MByte RAM disk out of 128MByte total RAM. Very fast.

We can change config using ssh, save stuff using scp or make a new
CD-ROM from time to time. Either way, zero maintenance. No backups
necessary either. Works with any PC that will boot from a CD. One of
our beta testers says that a P2 266 will packetfilter 50MBit/sec easily.

Linux doesn't just kill Microsoft's NT and Solaris. It also eats
Cisco for lunch.

Email me if you think there would be interest in such a
"Linux Router/Firewall KIT". We are about to package a CD based 
distribution plus a couple of the right Ethernet cards (this is key!)
and are looking for more beta testers.

Dirk

On Tue, Oct 27, 1998 at 03:20:40PM -0800, Dan Hollis wrote:
> On Tue, 27 Oct 1998, John Fraizer wrote:
> > [root at core0-eth0]:~ # /sbin/route
> > Kernel IP routing table
> > Destination     Gateway         Genmask         Flags Metric Ref    Use Iface
> > Gateway-NET     *               255.255.255.252 U     0      0        5 eth0
> > EZone-CoLo-2xx- *               255.255.255.192 U     0      0       97 eth2
> > 2xx.xx.2xx.0    *               255.255.255.0   U     0      0     6189 eth1
> > xx6.28.xx.0     *               255.255.255.0   U     0      0       17 eth1:0
> > xx9.201.1x8.0   *               255.255.255.0   U     0      0       27 eth1:1
> > loopback        *               255.0.0.0       U     0      0        0 lo
> > default         core1-eth0-Ente 0.0.0.0         UG    1      0   286496 eth0
> 
> We're doing similar:
> 
> $ netstat -rn
> Kernel IP routing table
> Destination     Gateway         Genmask         Flags   MSS Window  irtt Iface
> 255.255.255.255 0.0.0.0         255.255.255.255 UH     1500 0          0 eth2
> xxx.xxx.xxx.64  0.0.0.0         255.255.255.240 U      1500 0          0 eth1
> xxx.xxx.xxx.160 0.0.0.0         255.255.255.224 U      1500 0          0 eth2
> xxx.xxx.xxx.0   0.0.0.0         255.255.255.0   U      1500 0          0 eth0
> 127.0.0.0       0.0.0.0         255.0.0.0       U      3584 0          0 lo
> 0.0.0.0         xxx.xxx.xxx.254 0.0.0.0         UG     1500 0          0 eth0
> 
> The 255/32 route is so that the isc-dhcp server on the box will work with
> win95 clients. eth2 goes to a remote customer site via DSL. So they just
> plonk win95 machines on their hub and dont have to do any configuration.
> 
> This machine is a 486DX/33 with 16mb ram. Even under heavy load between
> multiple ether interfaces with lots of firewall rules (eg ping -f -s 1500
> from one side of the router to the other) it rarely breaks 15% cpu.
> 
> Basically linux makes a _great_ multi-ethernet router.
> 
> -Dan
> 